{"id":164154,"date":"2021-12-04T10:47:50","date_gmt":"2021-12-04T02:47:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/?post_type=kb&p=164154"},"modified":"2022-08-12T17:19:53","modified_gmt":"2022-08-12T09:19:53","slug":"what-is-a-dlp-3d-printer-simply-explained","status":"publish","type":"kb","link":"https:\/\/facfox.com\/docs\/kb\/what-is-a-dlp-3d-printer-simply-explained","title":{"rendered":"What Is a DLP 3D Printer? \u2013 Simply Explained"},"content":{"rendered":"

What Does It Mean and Where Does It Come From?<\/h3>\n
\"\"
An SLA print rises from the resin. Source: 3DNatives.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

DLP<\/strong>\u00a0stands for\u00a0digital light processing<\/strong>, and is a type of\u00a0vat polymerization<\/strong>. Vat polymerization 3D printing technologies make use of a (liquid) photopolymer resin which\u00a0is able to cure (solidify) under a light source.<\/p>\n

In the world of vat polymerization, there are two main technologies: SLA and DLP. Naturally, both\u00a0use resin and a light source to produce parts, the main difference being the type of light source\u00a0which is used to cure the resin.<\/p>\n

In order to understand DLP properly, it first makes sense to describe its predecessor, SLA. 3D printers that employ\u00a0SLA<\/strong>, or\u00a0stereolithography<\/strong>, use a build platform, an elevator that moves the platform upwards, a tank filled with resin, a light source and galvanometers.<\/p>\n

SLA 3D printers start to work by lowering the build platform into the resin-filled tank with only one layer of height left between the bottom of the tank and the build platform. Then the galvanometers take over.<\/p>\n

Galvanometers are mirror-like components used for navigating the laser beam of an SLA printer to the bottom of the tank. With the help of G-code, galvanometers navigate the laser beam in a path which represents one layer of a certain part. The laser then cures the resin making a solid layer of a part. When one layer is complete, the build platform moves up by one layer in height and the process is repeated until the part is complete.<\/p>\n

How Does It Work?<\/h3>\n
\"\"
A diagram illustrated the DLP setup. Source: DruckWege.de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now\u00a0that you know how SLA works, it\u2019s time to take a closer look at DLP. DLP is a \u201csister technology\u201d to SLA as the only big difference is the light source used to cure the resin. As we just mentioned, SLA printers use lasers combined with galvanometers to cure resin.<\/p>\n

With a DLP 3D printer, the light source\u00a0is a specially developed\u00a0digital light projector screen<\/strong>. Thanks to this screen, DLP is generally considered to be faster than SLA, and here\u2019s why:<\/p>\n

With SLA, the laser has to individually cure the resin in a \u201cpoint to point\u201d technique. On the other hand,\u00a0a DLP projector screen flashes an image of a layer all at once! Thus\u00a0all points of a layer can be cured simultaneously. In this way,\u00a0the\u00a0print speed is increased<\/strong>\u00a0in comparison to SLA since it takes less time to cure a single layer.<\/p>\n

Since the DLP is a digital technology, the 2D image that is projected is composed of pixels. When translated into three dimensions, they become voxels.<\/p>\n

The light source of a DLP 3D printer itself, an LED screen, means nothing without a digital micromirror device (DMD),\u00a0the \u201cheart\u201d of every DLP chipset. A DMD contains hundreds of thousands or even millions of small micromirrors that direct the light and create\u00a0the pattern of a layer onto the bottom of the resin tank.<\/p>\n

The resolution of a printed part using a DLP 3D printer usually\u00a0corresponds to the number of micromirrors inside a DMD device.<\/p>\n

SLA\u00a0vs DLP<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Visual appearance of SLA and DLP prints. Source: Formlabs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Up to this point, we\u2019ve only mentioned the benefit of a DLP 3D printer over an SLA machine: the increased speed. As you would expect, DLP also has its limitations.<\/p>\n

Since a DLP 3D printer uses a digital projector screen, the resolution of your print directly corresponds to the resolution of your projector. In other words, a cheaper projector will likely mean reduced resolution. This is in contrast to SLA, where even cheaper devices are likely to have decent resolution (i.e. a narrow beam width).<\/p>\n

Another limitation of DLP printers is the\u00a0boxy surface finish<\/strong>. Since voxels\u00a0are rectangular, curved sections of a print\u00a0tend\u00a0not have a very smooth finish when compared to SLA. The good thing is that the problem with voxels and curves can be solved by sanding the part after printing.<\/p>\n

Both DLP and SLA printers use resins, so the cost of printing should be similar. However, keep in mind that cost greatly depends on the manufacturer of the resin or even the printer.<\/p>\n

The Best Machines<\/h3>\n
\"\"
The Peopoly Moai. Source: All3DP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/all3dp.com\/2\/what-is-a-dlp-3d-printer-3d-printing-simply-explained\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What Does It Mean and Where Does It Come From? DLP\u00a0stands for\u00a0digital light processing, and is a type of\u00a0vat polymerization. Vat polymerization 3D printing technologies make use of a (liquid) photopolymer resin which\u00a0is able to cure (solidify) under a light source. In the world of vat polymerization, there are two main technologies: SLA and DLP. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"kbtopic":[45],"kbtag":[126,88,140,125,403],"class_list":["post-164154","kb","type-kb","status-publish","hentry","kbtopic-tech","kbtag-3d-printing","kbtag-dlp","kbtag-principle","kbtag-resin","kbtag-technology"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat Is a DLP 3D Printer? \u2013 Simply Explained - FacFox Docs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What Does It Mean and Where Does It Come From? DLP\u00a0stands for\u00a0digital light processing, and is a type of\u00a0vat polymerization. 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